Chapter 288: the Rowe V

Chapter 288: Chapter 288: the Rowe V

(Damian pov)

Damian watched.

He had told himself he wouldn’t.

He had tried to return his attention to the conversation at the table, tried to listen to the manager discussing tomorrow’s match, but his eyes kept drifting back toward the windows.

Back to Vivienne.

Back to Christopher.

Then Vivienne lifted the napkin.

Damian’s attention sharpened.

She leaned toward Christopher and carefully dabbed something from the corner of his mouth.

Damian went still.

His first thought was immediate.

She never did that to me.

It was ridiculous.

Vivienne had touched him plenty of times.

But somehow, that wasn’t the point.

There was something about the gesture that felt far too intimate.

Then Christopher caught her wrist.

Damian’s jaw tightened.

He watched the two of them look at each other.

Vivienne’s cheeks turned pink.

Christopher said something Damian couldn’t hear.

She lowered her gaze.

Damian looked away.

For a moment.

Then he looked back.

Christopher had released her.

Vivienne returned to her food, but Damian couldn’t settle.

He shifted in his chair.

What the hell was she doing?

He wanted to get up.

He wanted to walk over there and ask her what was going on.

But what would he say?

Why are you here with him?

He had no right.

Why are you touching him like that?

Even less.

They had agreed on what they were.

Friends with benefits.

No promises.

No expectations.

Damian had accepted that.

Or at least, he had told himself he had.

His gaze returned to Vivienne.

She was smiling again.

Something twisted unpleasantly in his chest.

He wanted to stop whatever was happening.

He wanted to go over there.

He just hadn’t decided whether he actually would.

Then, beside him, Anthony suddenly pushed back his chair.

Damian looked at him.

His cousin stood.

"Anthony?"

Anthony didn’t answer.

He simply looked toward the windows.

Then he said quietly,

"Excuse me, everyone."

And walked away from the table.

Damian watched him go.

For a moment, he couldn’t understand it.

Then his gaze shifted back toward Vivienne.

He knew exactly where Anthony was going.

And somehow, that didn’t make him feel any better.

--

(Evelyn pov)

Evelyn had been watching Anthony the entire time.

She had seen every change in his expression.

Every tightening of his jaw.

Every time his gaze returned to Vivienne.

And now he had suddenly stood.

Her heart sank.

"Anthony?"

He looked at her.

For one moment, Evelyn thought he might tell her what he was doing.

Instead, he simply said,

"Excuse me, everyone."

Then he walked away.

Evelyn stared after him.

"What is he doing?"

There was genuine frustration in her voice.

She glanced toward Vivienne’s table.

Of course.

Of course this had happened.

She had already been angry enough watching Vivienne sitting there with Christopher, smiling at him as though she hadn’t spent the past few weeks moving from one man to another.

And now Anthony was walking straight toward them.

Evelyn’s hands tightened in her lap.

She loved Anthony.

She couldn’t stand watching him hurt himself over Vivienne.

But she also knew him well enough to understand that once he had made up his mind to do something, very little could stop him.

And the worst part was that she had absolutely no idea what he intended to do.

Was he going to confront Vivienne?

Ask her to leave?

Speak to Christopher?

Or—

Evelyn watched him continue across the restaurant.

Her irritation slowly gave way to unease.

"Anthony..."

He didn’t look back.

Evelyn could only watch helplessly as he approached them.

Whatever happened next, she had no way of stopping it.

--

(Anthony POV)

Anthony didn’t remember deciding to stand.

One moment, he had been sitting there.

The next, he was on his feet.

He had no plan.

No words prepared.

No idea what he intended to say when he reached her.

He simply knew that he couldn’t keep sitting there.

For the past two weeks, he had been carrying the same unanswered question with him.

He knew he wanted Vivienne.

He had known it since the ball.

The pool party had only made that realization impossible to ignore.

And his conversation with Damian afterward had done nothing to tell him what he was supposed to do about it.

He still didn’t know.

Even now, he didn’t know.

He had told Vivienne he didn’t love her.

Their engagement was over.

He had no right to ask anything of her.

He understood all of that.

But watching her tonight had made one thing painfully clear.

He didn’t want to see her with another man.

That was all he knew.

He didn’t know whether it was love.

He didn’t know whether it was jealousy.

He didn’t know what it meant for the future.

He only knew that he wanted her.

And, regardless of what he had called that feeling before, he couldn’t sit there and watch someone else have her attention.

So he stood.

And now he was walking toward her.

He still didn’t know what he was going to say.

Perhaps he would simply ask to speak with her.

Perhaps he would ask how she knew Christopher.

Perhaps he would say nothing at all.

He didn’t know.

He only kept walking.

Vivienne still hadn’t noticed him.

She was listening to Christopher.

Smiling.

She looked happy.

Anthony’s steps slowed.

He had expected anger.

Instead, the sight of her like this stirred something far more difficult.

He wanted her.

The thought came again.

Clearer this time.

He wanted her.

And he didn’t want another man sitting across from her.

He continued walking.

Two tables away.

Then one.

Vivienne reached toward one of the side dishes.

She picked up a small piece of roasted potato with her fork.

Christopher looked at her.

Vivienne smiled.

Anthony’s jaw tightened.

She lifted the fork toward him.

Christopher leaned forward.

Anthony was already close enough to see the hesitation in his expression.

Close enough to see the small, almost shy smile on Vivienne’s face.

He took another step.

He should say something.

He should announce himself.

He should—

Vivienne extended her arm farther across the table.

Her forearm passed directly in front of him.

Anthony reacted before he could think.

His hand closed around her wrist.

Vivienne froze.

The fork remained suspended between her and Christopher.

Slowly, she turned her head.

Her eyes widened.

"Anthony?"

Christopher straightened immediately.

His silver-gray eyes moved from Vivienne’s face to Anthony’s hand around her wrist.

Anthony realized what he had done.

He loosened his grip.

But he didn’t let go immediately.

For one suspended moment, the three of them simply stared at one another.

Vivienne looked genuinely shocked.

Christopher looked surprised.

And Anthony still had no idea what he was going to say.

He only knew one thing.

He had finally stopped himself from watching.

--

Tbc

AN: Finally! Hahaha